Chapter 107 - 77: Shen Yan’s Gratitude
Chen Lin: [Just got out of the School of Mathematics building. I’m downstairs now.]
Shen Yan: [Wait for me a minute.]
Chen Lin closed the WeChat window and leisurely walked over to a large tree in front of the building. Leaning against its thick trunk, he opened a video app on his phone.
He expertly navigated to his history and found the full walkthrough video for Hollow Knight he’d been watching over the past few days, resuming it with great interest.
On the screen, the creator was maneuvering the Knight through a complex underground world, all while muttering a running commentary about the locations of hidden paths and charms.
Chen Lin was completely engrossed when he suddenly heard a familiar, pleasant voice.
"Chen Lin."
He instinctively looked up, his eyes leaving the phone screen.
The first glance was all it took for Chen Lin’s eyes to light up.
Shen Yan was standing just a few steps in front of him, watching him quietly.
She looked completely different from the image Chen Lin had of her—the high-school-student look of a simple black or white T-shirt paired with plain pants.
She was wearing a soft, off-white knit cardigan, its V-neckline perfectly revealing her delicate collarbones.
Underneath was a light-blue cotton dress with a hem that fell just to her knees, its natural pleats swaying gently in the breeze.
On her feet, she wore a pair of delicate white flats, completing the clean, crisp look.
This carefully coordinated outfit softened her usual cool and distant air, replacing it with the fresh, gentle charm of a girl next door.
A sincere smile appeared on Chen Lin’s face, and he didn’t hold back his praise. "You look great today."
Hearing this, Shen Yan froze for a second.
A faint blush gently touched her fair cheeks.
However, the bashfulness lasted less than two seconds.
She quickly regained her usual composure, though her eyes instinctively avoided Chen Lin’s direct gaze as she answered softly,
"Um... thank you."
"..."
After a few seconds, Shen Yan took the initiative to break the slightly awkward silence. "Is there anything you want to eat?"
Chen Lin smiled and readily deferred to her. "It’s your treat, so you get to decide."
Shen Yan hummed in acknowledgment and thought for a few seconds.
She took her phone out of her small white shoulder bag, tapped the screen a couple of times, and a moment later, Chen Lin’s phone vibrated with a BUZZ.
It was a link shared over WeChat.
Chen Lin tapped the link. A page from a review app popped up, and the restaurant’s name and per-person cost at the top made his heart skip a beat, followed by an internal ’Holy crap.’
[Yunlan Creative Fusion Cuisine]
[Average Cost Per Person: ¥1000+]
’A thousand yuan! And that’s per person!’
’This meal is going to cost two thousand yuan, minimum.’
Chen Lin’s first instinct was to say, ’How about we go somewhere else? This is too expensive.’ After all, the most expensive meal he’d ever had in his life was the seafood buffet his parents took him to after his high school graduation. It was supposedly the best in Jiangdu back then, and even that was only five or six hundred yuan per person.
But he swallowed the words before they could escape.
’On second thought,’ he reasoned, ’since Shen Yan chose this place herself, it must mean this meal is important to her.’
’If I make a fuss, it might just make things awkward for her.’
’Besides, she’s the one treating. I should just relax and enjoy the meal.’
Having come to this conclusion, Chen Lin looked up with a relaxed smile.
"Alright, let’s go with this place. I’m with you."
...
...
「Half an hour later」
The Didi came to a smooth stop at the mouth of a secluded alley in the city center.
The two got out of the car and followed their phone’s navigation. After a few minutes of winding their way down a narrow, stone-paved path, they stopped in front of a two-story building that had some age to it.
The building’s facade was small. The sign was a dark wooden plaque, engraved with the single word "Yunlan" in an artistic, flowing script. Beyond that, there were no other decorations.
Just as Chen Lin and Shen Yan reached the entrance, a waitress with a slender figure, dressed in an elegant suit, hurried over to greet them. She wore a professional smile and gave a slight bow.
"Good evening, do you have a reservation?"
Shen Yan shook her head. "No, but I have a membership card. The last four digits are 7391."
The waitress checked on a device in her hand. "Ah, Miss Shen, welcome. This way, please."
She turned to the side and gestured for them to follow her inside.
Stepping inside was like entering another world.
The restaurant’s interior was warm and elegant. Warm yellow light spilled from woven bamboo lampshades overhead, illuminating the polished hardwood floors below.
A faint scent of sandalwood mingled with the aroma of food, creating an unconsciously relaxing atmosphere.
The waitress led them to a uniquely decorated private room.
"Please, have a seat."
The waitress first thoughtfully arranged the exquisite tableware for them before picking up a tablet from the table and handing it to Shen Yan with both hands.
"Would you like to decide what to order, or may I offer some recommendations?"
"Please give us some recommendations," Shen Yan said, accepting the tablet but placing it back on the table without looking. "It’s been a while since my last visit, so I’m not sure if your menu has changed recently."
"Of course." The waitress was clearly well-trained and immediately began with a smile. "In addition to our signature Truffle Pan-Seared Shrimp Cakes, we have some new, very well-received dishes: our Chilled Yellow Croaker Terrine with Crispy Bone and Fermented Grains, Wagyu Fried Rice, and Sautéed Porcini with Ibérico Ham. Would you care to try any of them?"
"That sounds good," Shen Yan nodded. "Please portion those for two, and we’ll also have two orders of the Matsutake Seafood Soup, one for each of us. Thank you."
"Certainly. Please wait a moment."
The waitress crossed her hands in front of her, bowed deferentially, and backed out of the room, carefully pulling the door shut behind her.
"The service here is really impeccable."
Chen Lin remarked with genuine admiration.
’From the moment we walked in, every detail has shown such professionalism and care. As expected of a restaurant that costs over a thousand yuan per person. It really makes you feel welcome.’
’This is my first time eating at a place like this. It’s certainly been an eye-opener.’
"Do you come here often?" Chen Lin asked curiously.
Shen Yan shook her head and explained, "Actually, my parents brought me here once last year when they came to Jinmen to visit. I thought the food was pretty good, so I got a membership card. Sometimes I’ll bring Hanhan and our other two roommates here for a meal."
Hearing this, Chen Lin was secretly blown away.
’Looks like my guess was right,’ he thought. ’Shen Yan really is from a wealthy family.’
’Even if you couldn’t tell from the way she usually dresses.’
’But someone who can casually pay fifteen hundred yuan for a single tutoring session and treat friends to a restaurant that costs a thousand per person... For a guy from an ordinary family like him, that level of spending was definitely extravagant.’
However, Chen Lin didn’t feel inferior or resentful.
He was well aware that people are born into different circumstances.
’Instead of envying the advantages others were born with, it’s better to focus on improving myself.’
’After all, I’m a man with a system on my side now.’
’Once Principal Chang Kai and President Peng finalize the investment to start the company, my personal assets are going to see another huge surge.’
’Then, with the steady twenty percent monthly growth from the "Little Financial Planner" system, treating Shen Yan to a meal of this caliber in return won’t be a problem at all.’
At this thought, Chen Lin’s mind grew even more tranquil, and he was even in the mood to joke around.
"Well, looks like I’m really making you spend a fortune today."
Shen Yan heard him, and though she was familiar enough with him to know he was joking, her clear eyes looked at him with immense seriousness.
Her voice was soft, but it sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet private room. "I invited you to dinner today to formally thank you."
She paused, as if organizing her thoughts, or perhaps reminiscing.
"From helping me solve the problem in the modeling competition, to tutoring me and helping me with my math. And then later, on stage, you stood up for me... You’ve helped me so many times."
Shen Yan’s tone carried a mix of sincerity and conviction. "And what I said that day after you left the stage—I was serious about that, too. In the future, it’s not just about treating you to dinner. If there’s anything at all you need my help with, I’ll do my best."